The Brooklyn-based WRENS quartet is a strange beast. It features highly experienced improvisers – trumpeter Ryan Easter, who also does freestyle rap and spoken poetry, Austrian Elias Stemeseder (of Christian Lillinger and Anna Webber bands) on synths and una corda piano, cellist Lester St. Louis, who doubles on electronics, and drummer Jason Nazary (of Darius Jones and Chris Pitsiokos bands) who doubles on synths, overdubbed, mixed and edited the album. WRENS’ sophomore album Half of What You See (following alligator shoes [on flatbush], novel service, 2023, with St.Louis as a guest) is packed with so many references and pushes to so many directions – free jazz, atonal music, electroacoustic flights, poetic rap, hip-hop, and experimental electronica
